1. Field
The description relates to the field of tablet packaging and delivery systems. More particularly, the description relates to ordering and filling a prescription comprising a plurality of different medications.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the major problems in the taking of prescribed daily medications emanates from the fact that, in many instances the patient has to take more than one medication in the form of pills or tablets. A principal concern is determining whether all medications have been taken in compliance with the prescribed daily regimen. Many times this concern is compounded by the requirement that portions of the various medications must be taken at different times during the day.
The fear of taking improper dosages of prescribed medication can be particularly acute in the elderly, many of whom have some degree of mental dementia and can easily be confused as to whether they have taken all of their medications at the correct time. Some patients, with curtailed mental capabilities, have difficulty just in sorting out the medications preparatory to taking them, let alone taking the medication in a timely manner. Providing medications to disabled and/or incapacitated individuals can also be a problem for caregivers, particularly those in hospitals and assisted living facilities where one caregiver may oversee the medication of many patients.
Thus, there is a need for a positive delivery system and tablet package assembly for the delivery of multi-prescription dosages. A tablet packaging and delivery system that could decrease the possibility of human error and provide an easy to use set-up for the correct selection and delivery of multi-tablet/multi-time medications would be welcomed by the pharmaceutical and medical communities.
There is also a need for a tablet delivery system that provides evidence that the prescriptions were actually taken or administered as prescribed. Such a system would be an efficient way for any patient to take such multi-dosages but it would be especially beneficial for a patient of limited mental capacity as well as to caregivers in the hospital setting.
There is also a need for a tablet assembly and delivery system for vitamin supplements. Vitamin supplements are also often used in the same manner as many prescribed drug regiments with many of the same problems and inconveniences. Therefore a delivery system that addresses the needs of multi-prescription administration also contains many benefits for, and can be applied to, the vitamin and herbal supplement market.
One solution to the problem of taking multiple medications is to pre-package the multiple medications so that users can take the pre-packaged medications at a predetermined time. Generally, these methods of pre-packaging medications are targeted to patients that may lack maturity and/or mental capacity to take the correct medications at the correct time. For example, young children in a school or campground, and elderly individuals in elder care centers, or nursing homes are target groups for the pre-packaging of medications. Some of the pre-packaged medications are placed in a small plastic bag, which may be easily misplaced and is not child proof. Other pre-packaged medications are placed in sealed cups that are difficult to open and that can not be made child proof.
Additionally, the pre-packaging of multiple medications is also limited by distributing pre-packaged medications to a limited geographical location. For example, the pre-packaging of multiple medications is only provided in hospitals, medical institutions, campgrounds, or schools. Thus, the geographic limitation makes it difficult to effectively distribute the pre-packaged medications to a broad group of people over a broad geographic area.
Furthermore, pre-packaged multiple medications are difficult to order because the pre-packaging of multiple medications is a specialty service that has not been automated. The manual processing of prescription orders is expensive because the process lacks automation. Therefore, there is a need for an automated ordering system and process that is simple and cost effective for a patient or a pharmacist to use. An automated system and method for receiving orders would make it substantially easier to process a multiple prescription order, which would in turn make the process much more cost effective.
Further still, the current pre-packaging of multiple medications does not provide a simplified labeling technique that permits a caregiver to efficiently monitor the dispensing of different medications at pre-determined intervals. For example, the current techniques for dispensing medications do not provide summaries of the medications being taken by a patient. Additionally, although a pharmacist may provide information about drug interactions, there is no simple and clear record that describes drug interactions in a patient-friendly manner.
Further yet, there is a need for an efficient production facility that efficiently processes and inspects the pre-packaged multiple prescription containers. Automated processing and inspection techniques can dramatically improve efficiencies and minimize improper packaging or labeling. Thus, by automating the tablet processing and inspection process a more cost effective solution for the pre-packaging of multiple prescriptions can be obtained.
The following description provides a convenient and efficient way for patients, pharmacists, and physicians to order multi-drug prescriptions from a pharmaceutical dispensing system which produces multi-dose prescriptions. This description allows for prescriptions to be placed from a computer, telephone, facsimile, mail, or any combination thereof.